Curtain having wave patterns, a method of making the same, and a packaged curtain

Abstract

 A curtain (X) characterized in that the curtain is made of a polyester cloth or the like, a wave treatment being applied to the curtain (X) from a top portion (1) to a bottom portion (2), uniform wave patterns (a) each having a hump portion (3) and a valley portion (4) being continuously formed from the top portion (1) to the bottom portion (2), the entirety of the curtain (X) having uniformly continuous waves. A method of making a curtain (X) is characterized in that a curtain material made of a polyester cloth or the like is sandwiched between a form (A) constituted of a support member (S₁) and a plurality of semi-circular frames (h₁), (h₂), ··· disposed on the support member (S₁) and a pressing frame (B) constituted of a plurality of pressing pipes (p₁), (p₂), ··· facing with the form (A), the pressing pipes (p₁), (p₂), ··· being supported by a plurality of arm members (q₁), (q₂), ··· and mounted on a support member (S₂) of the pressing frame (B), the curtain material being heated in the sandwiched state so that continuous wave shapes are fixedly formed on the curtain material. A packaged curtain is characterized in that a curtain (X) is gathered and folded vertically elongatedly, and then bent into a spiral state, an S-shaped state or a Z-shaped state from one end portion thereof and then packaged.

Description

[0001] This invention relates to curtains.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In order to improve the appearance of a curtain when it is actually hung in a room, folds are, in many cases, formed on the curtain. These folds generally run from the top to the bottom. As one means, a weight tape is attached to the bottom portion of the curtain in order to make the bottom portion slightly heavier so that folds may appear on one curtain in a natural fashion due to a provision of the weight tape along with a compliant soft feel which the curtain inherently has. The increased weight of the bottom portion of the curtain serves to prevent the folds of the curtain from becoming disarranged when the curtain is touched by someone.

[0003] In order to form stable folds on the curtain more positively, it is known to insert elongated thin plastic pins into the back side (window side), this back side being generally invisible from the room side, of the folds of the curtain. These pins extend all the way from the bottom portion to an appropriate position of the upper portion in order to fixedly form the folds on the curtain.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide a curtain in which wave patterns formed thereon from the top portion to the bottom portion are laterally continuously arranged.

[0005] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for laterally continuously applying vertical wave patterns on a curtain from the top portion to the bottom portion.

[0006] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a package of such a curtain as obtained in the above objects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] This invention relates to a curtain having wave patterns formed thereon and a method for making the same. It also relates to a method for packaging such a curtain. According to this invention, a curtain having wave patterns formed thereon can be obtained without the need of a provision of a weight tape as had by the conventional curtain and without the need of a provision of plastic pins. The wave patterns are formed on a curtain material by heating, such that when the curtain is spread against a window or the like, or when the curtain halves are gathered to opposite sides of the window or the like, the curtain will not lose the continuous beautiful wave patterns which are vertically arranged and formed thereon from the top portion to the bottom portion. Also, the packaged curtain according to the present invention can maintain the orderly wave patterns formed thereon.

[0008] Those objects can be achieved by a construction of a curtain of the present invention, a method for making and packaging the same. Specific embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing. It should be noted that correction and modification of specific parts of the embodiments are within a scope of the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0009] 

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a spread state of a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state of a curtain of the present invention drawn to one place;

Fig. 3 is an explanatory view showing another way of hanging a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is an explanatory view showing a further way of hanging a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is an explanatory view of a form for making a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of Fig. 5 but in which a form is already assembled;

Fig. 7 is an explanatory view of a process for making a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is an explanatory view showing a method for packaging a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of a package of a curtain of the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a view showing another example of a package of a curtain of the present invention; and

Fig. 11 is a view showing a further example of a package of a curtain of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] As shown in Fig. 1, a curtain (X) of the present invention is made of a material such as polyester cloth which is easy to treat thermally. Uniform wave patterns (a) each having a hump or ridge portion (3) and a valley portion (4) are continuously formed from the top portion (1) to the bottom portion (2). The entirety of the curtain (X) has uniformly continuous waves. Holes (H₁) to (H_n) are formed in the top portion (1) of the curtain (X) such that each wave pattern (a) has a pair of such holes (H₁) to (H_n). The curtain (X) is hung from a curtain rod (R) which extends through the holes (H₁) to (H_n).

[0011] Fig. 2 shows the state of the curtain (X) which has been drawn to one place. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the curtain (X) is folded such that the ridge portion (3) and the valley portion (4) of each wave pattern (a) are equally spaced from the upper portion to the bottom portion and they are regularly arranged in side-by-side relationship.

[0012] Fig. 3 shows another example of a way of hanging the curtain (X). In this example, rings (r₁), (r₂), ··· are attached to the top portion (1) of the curtain (X) such that the curtain (X) has one ring for each wave pattern (a), and the curtain rod (R) extends through those rings. In Fig. 4, tucks (t₁), (t₂), ··· are provided on the top portion (1) of the curtain (X) and a hook (f) is attached to the back side of each tuck. For hanging the curtain (X) as illustrated, the hooks (f) are hooked on curtain runners (N₁), (N₂), ··· movable in and along a curtain rail (M). Even if the way of hanging the curtain is changed in this way, the forms or shapes of the wave patterns provided on the curtain (X) are maintained.

[0013] Next, for obtaining the curtain (X) of the present invention, one example for forming the wave patterns will be described. First, a curtain material (X') is placed between a pair of formers having a configuration as later described and then heated so that the wave patterns of the former are fixedly provided on the curtain material.

[0014] As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, a former (A) has a support member S₁) and generally semi-circular frames (h₁), (h₂), ···disposed on the support member (S₁) and adapted to provide desired wave patterns (a) on the curtain material (X') and fix the shape of the waves. A pressing frame is located opposite the former (A). Pressing pipes (p₁), (p₂), ··· are supported by front and rear arm members (q₁), (q₂), ··· and attached to a support member (S₂) of the pressing frame (B). As shown in Fig. 6, the curtain material (X') is placed on the semi-circular frames (h₁), (h₂), ··· of the former (A) and the pressing pipes (P₁), (P₂), ··· of the pressing frame (B) are interposed between adjacent semi-circular frames (h₁), (h₂), ··· from above such that the curtain material (X') is sandwiched between the former (A) and the pressing form (B). In the foregoing state, the curtain material (X') is subjected to treatment.

[0015] Fig. 7 shows on example of a device for applying wave patterns on the curtain material (X') by heating the curtain material (X'). In the illustration, a conveyor (C) travels between rollers (K₁), (K₂) connected to a driving motor unit, not shown. During the time the curtain material (X'₁), (X'₂) ··· sandwiched between the former (A) and the pressing frame (B) is moved, it is heated up to approximately 160 to 170 °C in the heating zone (T) and rapidly cooled in a cooling zone (F) so that the fixture of the wave patterns can be effectively performed. A temperature necessary for fixing the shape of the wave patterns on this curtain material (X') depends on the time required for the curtain material (X') to pass through the heating zone (T). The determination as to whether the curtain material (X') should be heated at a comparatively high temperature in order to reduce the heating time or at a low temperature in order to increase the heating time is properly made taking into consideration the characteristics of the material such as construction, thickness, quality of the cloth of the curtain material (X') or the like.

[0016] Next, packaging of the curtain (X) will be described. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the curtain (X) is drawn and folded vertically. Such a curtain (X) is bent or curved from one end thereof such that the bent curtain comprises side surfaces where the hump portions (3) appear and surfaces where flat surfaces of the curtain material appear. The curtain (X) is further formed into a spiral shape as shown in Fig. 9 and stored in a container (5). As shown in Fig. 10, the curtain (X) may be bent or curved from both ends thereof to form it into a spiral shape and then stored in the container (5). The curved curtain (X) is not wrinkled when it is taken out of the container (5), the shape of the wave patterns on the curtain (X) is always maintained and ugly wrinkle, which would otherwise remain, as in the prior art, on the curtain when the curtain is simply folded, can be prevented from occurring. In those examples, when the interior of the container (5) [which is transparent or partly transparent] is looked at from one side, the appearance of the container is good because patterns, material of the curtain (X), etc. can be attractive. In addition, since the content of the container (5) can visually be recognized, this way of packaging is very convenient.

[0017] In Fig. 8, the curtain (X) as illustrated is bent in mutually opposite directions as indicated respectively by arrows I and I', formed into an S-shape (or Z-shape) as shown in Fig. 11 and then stored in the container (5). Also in this way of package, the curtain (X) can be free from wrinkle and the shape of the waves on the curtain (X) can always be maintained as in the case with the above-mentioned example. In addition, the appearance is also good when looked from one side and the content of the container (5) can visually be recognized as in the case with Fig. 10.

[0018] The curtain so far described is made of a polyester cloth. However, the curtain may be formed as follows. In a curtain made of a cotton cloth, a synthetic resin agent comparatively difficult to provide hard properties such as urethanes or acrylics is impregnated at one stage for forming a cloth and the resultant is heated at a temperature of about 120 to 130 °C. By heating such obtained cloth material in the manner as mentioned above, there can be obtained a curtain having wave patterns as in the case where the polyester cloth material is used.

[0019] According to the present invention, the curtain material is placed on a form having a wave-like configuration and heated so that the configuration of the form is fixedly formed on the curtain. In this way, there can be obtained a curtain having beautiful wave patterns orderly continued in a vertical direction from the top portion to the bottom portion. Further, such obtained curtain of the present invention is a curtain having attractive wave patterns orderly continued in a vertical direction from the top portion to the bottom portion both when the curtain is spread (Figs. 1 and 4 as well as elsewhere) and when the curtain is drawn (Fig. 2).

[0020] The curtain is drawn and folded vertically, and then bent from one end portion thereof to provide a packaged curtain.

Claims

1. A curtain (X) characterized in that the material of said curtain has been subjected to a wave treatment from a top portion (1) to a bottom portion (2), so that uniform wave patterns (a) each having a hump or ridge portion (3) and a valley portion (4) having been continuously formed from said top portion (1) to said bottom portion (2), the entirety of said curtain (X) having uniformly continuous waves.

2. A curtain according to claim 1, wherein said material is polyester cloth or the like.

3. A method of making a curtain (X) characterized in that a curtain material made of a polyester cloth or the like is sandwiched between a former (A) comprising a support member (S₁) and a plurality of convex frames (h₁), (h₂), ... disposed on said support member (S₁) and a pressing frame (B) constituted of a plurality of pressing pipes (p₁), (p₂), ... facing with said former (A), said pressing pipes (p₁), (p₂), ... being supported by a plurality of arm members (q₁), (q₂), ... and mounted on a support member (S₂) of said pressing frame (B), said curtain material being heated in the sandwiched state so that continuous wave shapes are fixedly formed on said curtain material.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein said frames (h₁), (h₂), ... are semi circular.

5. A packaged curtain characterized in that a curtain (X) is gathered and folded vertically elongatedly, and then bent or curved into a spiral state, an S-shaped state or a Z-shaped state from one end portion thereof and then packaged.

Drawing